Moonlight and Platinum
by BulletTimeScully
Summary: I have found the one whom my soul loves. "Song of Solomon," 3:4
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nothing recognizable is mine. All characters belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. I do this for my own enjoyment and hopefully that of others.

A/N: This little story was inspired by the beautiful Caryl oneshot _The Rings_, by Supfan. It will have at least two parts, maybe three, and is not TV-canon compliant, as you'll see. I love stories where things are left unsaid, or up to the reader to determine, and this will be one of those, to a point. Either way, this was written in about an hour, with no Beta, and well... it is what it is.

I hope you enjoy! Reviews and concrit are greatly appreciated.

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**_Moonlight and Platinum_**

_I have found the one whom my soul loves. _~ "Song of Solomon," 3:4

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He reached into his pocket again, fiddling with the contents as he paced through the last few minutes of his watch. The campsite was set out below him, nestled securely within the fenced-in grounds of a small farmer's market in rural Georgia. It was a quiet night, clear and crisp; they were well into the fall, and the nights were just starting to take on that edge that told him winter wasn't far off. They hadn't seen a walker for days, which both relieved and unnerved the group as a whole, but they couldn't afford to grow complacent, not with little Judy… not with –

A hand on his shoulder startled him, so much that he nearly dry-fired his bow into Rick's face.

"_Jesus Christ, man_…" Daryl hissed. "Don't sneak up on a guy like that…"

Rick held up a hand, looking startled and slightly embarrassed. "Sorry… sorry… I should know better by now." The sheriff rubbed his eyes; it was clear that he hadn't been sleeping well.

"Yeah, well… consider yourself lucky I didn't load the thing," Daryl said good-naturedly as he slung the crossbow over his shoulder in preparation to climb down from the top of the RV. Rick nodded, trading places with Daryl, who stood at the edge of the ladder for a moment before saying, "You sure you're okay to take watch? I know you ain't been gettin' a lotta sleep lately, what with lil' Ass Kicker an' all."

Rick chuckled and shook his head at Daryl's nickname for the little girl. "Nah," he said, adjusting his hold on his rifle, "I'm good. It was way worse with Carl." He stared off into the distance for a long moment, so long that Daryl considered the conversation over and started to head down the ladder. Just before the lawman's head disappeared from Daryl's line of vision, Daryl heard him say, "Besides… you're the one that's gonna be needin' sleep in a few months' time. Enjoy it while you can."

Rick turned and caught Daryl's eye; the hunter nodded once before climbing to the ground.

"Daryl!" Rick called once more, and the retreating man stopped and looked back up at him. "That thing we talked about… did it work out?"

Daryl chewed his lip, fingers of one hand twitching nervously against the strap of his crossbow, while the others once again went to the two nearly identical objects in his pocket. He palmed one of them, pulling it out to look at it. The moonlight glinted off the small platinum band.

It was the same color as her eyes.

Putting the ring back in his pocket, he said, "I'll let ya know in the mornin'," before turning and heading down the hill towards the tent he shared with Carol.

~ TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

A/N: I've been trying to add to this over the last week, to make it darker, but it just won't go that way. I tend to steer clear of fluff for the most part, but this one just came out… fluffy. I'm going to write something dark and morbid to get the horribly sweet taste out of my mouth. No beta. It is what it is.

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_Moonlight and Platinum_

Chapter 2

"Wait for me by moonlight,  
watch for me by moonlight,  
I'll come to thee by moonlight,  
though hell should bar the way."

~ Alfred Noyes

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The overgrown grass was wet and slick under his boots as he descended the hill to the campsite. With the frigid bite in the air, he knew there would be a thin layer of frost on the ground in the morning, so he made sure to snag an extra blanket from his truck before continuing on to the tent.

He unzipped the flap and stepped inside, depositing his bow and boots at the entrance, close enough to grab quickly, yet far enough to the side that they wouldn't be in the way while he slept.

He pulled off his jacket and vest and dropped them at the end of the bedroll, leaving his long-sleeved fleece shirt to help fight against the cold. After he'd emptied the pockets, his dirty jeans came next; they were replaced by a pair of flannel pants they'd picked up at the start of the fall. He remembered how insistent she'd been that he'd have something to sleep in other than his one pair of ratty jeans. She always worried about little things like that; it was one of the many things he'd come to love about her.

He slid under the blankets, already warm from the body nestled beneath them, and tried his best not to wake her. Despite his best efforts, she shifted and rolled over, snaking an arm beneath his shirt and around his waist as she pressed her face into his neck, sighing sleepily. He shivered as her hand rubbed lazily up his spine, nails dragging softly against his skin. "Mmm…" she mumbled. "You're cold..."

He gave a noncommittal grunt and readjusted the blankets over them both. He lay there for a moment, silently debating with himself if now was the right moment for what he intended.

_Just do it ya pussy…_ he said to himself, knowing that there would never be a truly 'right' moment… not in this world.

"Got somethin' for ya," he said finally.

She tilted her head back so she could see him. Her eyes were curious; Daryl wasn't one for giving gifts. "Yeah? What is it?" She smiled, tucking a lock of his hair back from his eyes.

"Nothin' much. Just somethin' I thought you might like to have… if you want it… If you don't…" He shrugged and looked away.

Her hand squeezed against his hip. "If it's from you, I'll love it. Now show me…" she whispered, playfully poking him in the ribs to help dampen his nervousness.

Taking a deep breath, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small platinum band, holding it up in front of her face. He watched as her mouth gaped open, and her eyes darted between the ring and his face.

When she didn't say anything, he was instantly bereft; he palmed the ring and dropped his hand to the cot. "I can chuck it if ya don't want it…"

Her hand on his face brought his eyes back to hers. "No! Of course—"She took a deep, shaky breath. "— of course I want it… just… _why_?"

His brow furrowed, and he exhaled softly as his free hand drifted down to her stomach, rounded slightly with a pregnancy five months gone, the results of one single night of stupid, quiet desperation. Her face grew somber, and she opened her mouth to say something, to tell him that he didn't have to do this for the simple fact that she carried his child.

He beat her to it. "Don't think I'm askin' outta some sorta… _obligation_, 'cause I ain't."

She smiled tightly and nodded, though he didn't see it. He was still looking down at where his hand lay across her belly.

He sighed heavily. "'S just… we… you an' me… we _fit_."

He looked at her then, and it stole her breath; she knew that he was waiting on her to contradict him, to argue, yet she also knew that he spoke the absolute truth.

And he knew that she knew it.

When she didn't argue and simply nodded once more, he reached for the matching ring, laying it in his hand next to her smaller one. "I know stuff like this don't mean much anymore…"

She huffed, but he continued over her.

"… that it ain't 'official' or nothin'…" He looked away. "If things were diff'rent…"

"But they're not; this is the way things are, Daryl… and nothin' is gonna change that." She reached out and picked up the larger band, pressing it to her lips before reaching for his left hand. She glanced up, looking to him for confirmation that this was truly what he wanted.

"Yeah," he said, his voice somber. He was frozen, watching as she slid the thick platinum band onto the ring finger of his left hand.

When she was finished, he took her hand in his, waited for her own confirmation of, "Yeah," and then did the same.

They lay that way for a while, him holding her hand, running his fingers over the simple wedding band that he had picked up on a run to town over a month ago, a band that he had no idea whether or not she would accept, and remembered how he had never wanted anything more in his life.

And now he had it.

She broke him from his reverie with a hand to his face. "You're forgetting something."

"'S that?"

"You're supposed to kiss the bride."

He grinned and pressed his lips to hers. It was reverent and slow at first, but soon enough she pushed him to his back and rose over him. They didn't speak… they didn't have to… and soon they were moving together in that age-old dance… unspoken, undefinable… unbreakable.

Call them what you would – friends, lovers, companions, partners... soulmates – it didn't matter. They had each other, and they would survive.

No, he thought, watching moonlight flash against platinum as his hands slid against her warm, bare skin… they wouldn't just survive.

They would beat this world.

They would _live_.

~ FIN


End file.
